Borini retains hope of Liverpool future

Fabio Borini says he has not given up hope of succeeding at Liverpool once his Sunderland loan spell ends.

Borini, 22, joined Sunderland for the rest of the season on September 2.

And he came on as a substitute to grab a late winner - his first Sunderland goal - as Newcastle were beaten 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Borini struggled to make an impact at Anfield following a £10.5 million move from Roma in July 2012.

He made only five league starts last term as he was ruled out for three months from late September with a broken foot, then missed another two-and-a-half months with a dislocated shoulder sustained in mid-February.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are firmly established as Liverpool's first-choice strike-force, but Borini believes he can make it at Anfield in the long-term.

He told the Liverpool Echo: "There has been a squad revolution there but the worst thing for me was getting injured when I was actually playing at the start of last season.

"I remain a Liverpool player, I'm on loan because there wasn't space for me and after a year of injuries I needed to get my confidence back, to play some games. But my roots are still there."